


Classroom Conflict

by galaxystiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Professors, Enemies to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 11:59:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12365283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxystiel/pseuds/galaxystiel
Summary: Five times Literature Professor Castiel Novak and Physics Professor Dean Winchester clashed, and one time they didn't.





	Classroom Conflict

**1.**

Castiel sighed as he sipped his tea, the scent of warm spices and an unmistakeable rose undertone creating a satisfying sensation of bliss. This, this was what he needed. Three hours of grading college sophomore papers on Dickens might sound like sheer hell to some people, and they’d be right. For all he loved teaching Literature at KSU, it was clear some of the students had taken the wrong kind of tips of Dickens – who had been paid by the word – and used the most complex sentences for the most basic point. It was a little tedious at times.

Which was why this little tea-centred haven was one of the finer points of Castiel’s lunch break on Wednesdays. He had a scheduled research period for his own papers, and often made the drive across down to settle here with his laptop and briefcase. The welcoming aura of the tea shop along with the countless flavours made for a perfect, relaxing afternoon.

He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, and was just about to take a sip when he was startled by the abrupt sound of a drum beat and loud, accompanying music.

A moment later, he recognised it as the beginning to a Led Zeppelin track, and opened his eyes, looking around for its origin. Everyone in the tea shop turned in his direction, glaring. Befuddled, knowing the music definitely wasn’t coming from him, Castiel rose, looking under his seat and discovering the source of the disturbance.

A ringing cell phone. An ancient one at that. Castiel may have been out of touch with modern technology, but even he knew that phones hadn’t flipped open since the early 2000’s.

 He stared blankly at the ringing phone, wondering how to silence it. When the song progressed into the unmistakeable wailing of Robert Plant and the glares of the surrounding customers became more pronounced, Castiel flipped open the phone to seek a way to end the call and his subsequent misplaced embarrassment.

Of course, flipping the phone answered the call, so now Castiel was uncomfortably holding a phone while hearing a muffled voice call out in greeting.

Hesitantly, he pressed it to his ear. What else could he do?

“Hello?”

“Hey, uh, you have my phone?”

Castiel’s lips parted in realisation, and he awkwardly shuffled on the spot before promptly retaking his seat. “Ah, yes. It appears you left it under the seat in the Tea Caddy.”

“In a tea caddy?” The voice repeated in disbelief. “I don’t even own a tea… oh! You mean the frou-frou tea place that my brother dragged me to this morning?

Castiel bristled. “Yes,” he replied, testily. “The _frou-frou tea place_ which I am clearly a patron of, allowing me to find your cell phone in the first place.”

Silence.

“Ah.”

Castiel waited.

“No offence, man. Tea just isn’t my thing. No judgement here,” the man on the other end of the phone added, hurriedly. “Could you just hand it over to one of the staff there and find out when they close? I teach at KSU and I can’t get back there until my last lecturer finishes at six.”

Surprised, Castiel paused for a moment. “They close at five thirty on Wednesdays. Did you say you’re a professor at KSU? As it happens, I teach Literature there, and I’ll be back within the hour if you’d like me to bring it. You could retrieve it from my office at six?”

“That would be great,” the man sighed, obviously relieved that he wouldn’t have to wait until the next day to retrieve his phone from all the way across town. “So I just head to the Literature department and I’ll find your office?”

“Yes. Second floor, end of the hallway, first door on the right. Professor Castiel Novak. If you’ll excuse me, my tea is getting cold. I will expect you shortly after six pm. Goodbye.”

He hung the phone up awkwardly, staring at it for a moment before pocketing it and reaching for his tea. He pulled a face at the temperature. Cold. Pursing his lips, Castiel rose to order a fresh cup. He’d even order something extra fancy, in defiance of his supposed colleague’s condescending tone about Castiel’s favourite tea shop. Thinking about it again made him grit his teeth, and he pushed all thoughts of the rude stranger out of his head as he headed to the counter.

Perhaps something soothing was in order. Lavender, maybe.

 

* * *

**2.**

By six, Castiel had forgotten all about his earlier annoyance. His afternoon lectures had gone quite well, his TA was handling the senior year pop quizzes, and he’d gotten a good start on his marking. He loved working at this time of day. His office was warm and snug, despite the November chill, and he had the beautiful sounds of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons serenading him as he worked.

He wasn’t _lonely_. He simply had nothing to rush home for. No welcome arms of a boyfriend or a husband to greet him. Just a brother that stopped by on occasion, but Gabriel was out of town.

Castiel was just career-driven, that was all. Why rush home and sit in an empty house when he could get on top of his work?

He worked through the papers, engrossed in his work, his red pen flying over the paper, notes scrawled in margins. Castiel was so lot in his grading, he completely missed the knocking on his office door. He didn’t look up until the door pushed open, the subsequent draft sending a section of his already-graded papers scattered around the room.

He rose, angrily, turning an accusing gaze to the doorway, before his jaw went slack. Before him was the most handsome man he’d ever seen. Tall with green eyes and freckles, dressed in a flattering dark grey suit jacket and matching slacks.

“Shit, I’m so sorry!” The man hurried forward and knelt, picking up the scattered papers. There was no form of organising to his work, he just tried to get everything into a pile so it was off the dusty floor. Castiel sank back into his chair, knowing that he would spent at least an hour sorting that back into order. Great.

“Who are you and what do you want?” He asked, tiredly.

The man flushed, setting the haphazard sheaf of papers onto an empty spot on Castiel’s desk. “I’m Dean Winchester. I teach Physics.”

Castiel gave him a blank stare. “Should that mean something to me?” He asked, bluntly. “I’m very busy, Professor Winchester, so if you could come to the point?”

A flash of annoyance crossed Dean’s face but it was masked as quickly as it appeared. Castiel felt a small hint of regret as he knew he was being rude, but that now messed-up pile of papers had taken him hours.

“Right. Sorry. You have my phone. From earlier.”

Realisation dawned on Castiel and he stared at the man for a moment. Now he knew, he definitely recognised the deep, accented voice from the earlier phone call. Reaching into his drawer, he pulled out the dated cell phone and slid it across the desk.

“I was forced to turn it off. It rang repeatedly through my afternoon lecture and I had absolutely no idea how to turn it off, so I asked one of my students to do so. Perhaps you should consider putting it on vibrate during teaching hours. Your ringtone is quite distinctive.”

Dean stared at him. “And I suppose your ringtone is more of this shit?” He gestured vaguely, and Castiel knew it was a direct snub towards the current ambience that his classical music was creating. He scowled, rising once again and walked around his desk, plucking the phone off the surface and pressing it into Dean’s hand.

“Actually, my ringtone is Stairway to Heaven, I’m sure you’re quite familiar with it. I simply know how to be courteous and turn my ringer off when I’m in a public setting. Goodbye, Professor Winchester. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

He held the door open pointedly, staring at Dean unflinchingly, until the other man stalked out of his office with unconcealed irritation.

Castiel let the door swing closed behind him and sighed. Well, that could have gone better. He returned to his marking, forgetting all about Dean in a matter of seconds. He’d probably never see him again anyway. It was a big campus, after all.#

 

* * *

**3.**

The next day saw Castiel pulling into his parking spot at precisely 7.40am as usual. He was in a much better mood, having made himself a thermos flask of his favourite Lady Grey tea. It wasn’t too dissimilar from Earl Grey, both black teas flavoured with citrus. Lady Grey simply took the citrus a step further and included orange and lemon peel, giving a sharpness to the palate that was perfect in the morning.

He smoothly parked in his assigned bay and reached for his flask, taking a sip and sighing. This would get him through the morning lectures, until he could make full use of the teapot in his office.

Briefcase clutched in his other hand, Castiel hip-checked the door to the Continental shut, hurrying into the building to seek warmth. It was destined for snow in the next week or two, that was obvious. Making his way through the winding hallways, Castiel stopped just before he reached his office, sticking his head into Balthazar’s office. Balthazar was the Department Chair, so he only taught two classes this semester.

“Good morning, Balthazar.”

A curse, a crash, and then Balthazar appeared, opening his door properly. “Confound it all, Cassie, can’t a man avoid his responsibilities without you appearing and distracting me?”

Castiel raised his eyebrow and stepped into the room. He left the door open so he could see if anyone arrived at his office and perched on the end of Balthazar’s desk. “Avoiding responsibilities? Ah,” he nodded as realisation struck. “Your date with Anna. I assume it didn’t go well?”

Balthazar twisted his face. “The less said about that the better, to be honest. We just weren’t compatible. No chemistry. Quite awkward.”

Castiel tried his best to look sympathetic but he knew he was failing miserably. He’d already given his opinion, that asking a colleague out on a date was a terrible idea when you worked so closely with them. Yet Balthazar had ignored his advice and asked Anna out anyway.

“I hate to say I told you so, but what was it I told you when you asked my opinion?”

Waving a dismissive hand, Balthazar frowned impatiently. “Yes, yes, yes, don’t shit where you eat, I know.”

“Well I didn’t put it _quite_ so crudely, but I suppose the point remains the same,” Castiel sighed. “What are you going to do?”

Balthazar shrugged. “I don’t have the faintest idea. I’ll figure something out. Now out of curiosity, is that tall, handsome stranger lurking outside the door looking for you or me?”

Castiel turned to give a quick glance at the doorway and paused when he saw Dean staring at him, holding two paper cups and shifting awkwardly. When they made eye contact, Dean gave a tentative smile.

“Well, that rather answers that question, doesn’t it? Maybe I should actually start listening to your advice, Cassie, if you can charm a tall drink of water like that.”

Castiel ignored his superior and rose from the desk, stepping out into the hallway. “Professor Winchester,” he greeted, stiffly, remembering their previous meeting. “Can I help you with something?”

Shifting his way to his other foot, Dean’s cheeks coloured. “Uh, yeah, I figured maybe we got off on the wrong foot yesterday, and I wanted to apologise.”

Castiel tilted his head, squinting as he tried to gauge Dean’s sincerity. “Alright,” he agreed, cautiously. He looked down when one of the cups was held out towards him, staring at it in confusion. “What’s this?”

“Coffee,” Dean mumbled. “I wasn’t sure how you liked it so I got creamer and sugar in my pocket.”

“I don’t drink coffee,” Castiel replied matter-of-factly. He felt awkward, refusing the obvious gesture on Dean’s part, but he didn’t want to lie and take the coffee when maybe someone in Dean’s faculty would appreciate it more. Recognising that his words could seem as a dismissal, he opened his mouth to clarify, but Dean cut him off.

“Right. So are we cool?”

“Cool?”

“With the apology and all,” Dean clarified, his shoulders tense.

Castiel blinked. “Technically, you didn’t apologise. You said you wanted to, but never actually said the words.” He pointed out.

Dean took a step back, his expression hardening. “Wow. You’re something else, Professor Novak, do you know that? See you around.”

Before Castiel could apologise, Dean turned and stalked off down the hallway, tossing one of the coffee cups in the trash passive-aggressively. Disappointed in how poorly that interaction had gone, Castiel turned towards Balthazar’s office to find his friend staring at him in exasperation.

“Cassie, for someone with such sage dating advice, you really are hopeless. Any fool with a brain could see that he’s interested in you.” Balthazar tutted.

With a long-suffering sigh, Castiel stepped into his own office and if the door swung closed a little vigorously behind him, it was absolutely an accident.

 

* * *

**4.**

Castiel didn’t see Dean for the rest of the week. The weekend was a welcome reprieve, especially since he didn’t teach or have office hours scheduled on Mondays. It meant from Friday evening until Tuesday morning was his own time, unless he had a deadline he needed to meet. When Monday rolled around, there was still a lot of grading to do, so Castiel allowed himself the morning off, but intended to visit his office in the afternoon to collect the next set of papers.

He sat around until lunch, enjoying the freedom of his last morning of leisure until the weekend, before eventually making his way to the office. Monday was one of the busier days on campus, so there was a little traffic as Castiel made his way into the faculty parking lot. Heading for his reserved space, Castiel screeched to a halt when he saw that it was already taken.

Uncertainly, Castiel looked around for a free spot. Thankfully, he knew the protocol and pulled up at a meter. He wouldn’t have to pay, but the meter was on the opposite side of the parking lot to his office and Castiel felt inconvenienced. He was incensed that someone would have the audacity to steal his designated parking space when this was a faculty only parking lot. All lecturers were given the option to pay for a parking space out of their salary if they drove. The only staff members who refused travelled via public transport. The only reason for someone to steal his stall was if they didn’t want to pay. It was unacceptable.

As he stalked past the black car – and a very nice car it was, an Impala if Castiel wasn’t mistaken – he was already dialling the campus number to report the stolen parking bay. Whoever had the audacity to inconvenience him was going to get a nasty surprise when they received a ticket. It would be cheaper just to pay for the reserved stall.

 The afternoon was productive. Castiel managed to finish up the entirety of the senior years papers on Tess of the d’Urbervilles and even take an impromptu meeting with a student looking to discuss extra credit. Castiel liked Alex, she worked hard despite her dyslexia and was more than happy to give her extra credit.

“I can assign you an extra paper but you have to understand that I don’t expect to hear that your grades are suffering in your other classes because you’ve taken too much on for me,” Castiel told Alex gently, reaching for a paper.

“Yes, Professor Novak, I understand. I’m actually very interested in pursuing a career in…”

Alex was rudely interrupted when Castiel’s office door burst open, and Dean Winchester walked in with a stormy expression in his face. He strode up to the desk and pointed at Castiel.

“You’re a dick, do you know that?”

In less than a second, Castiel’s eyes darkened in fury, but he managed to keep his composure. He grabbed his pen and wrote a quick note, handing it to Alex. “Sorry to cut this meeting short. Please go and see the Department Chair and have him fill out the required paperwork for your extra credit. Give him that note and explain I’ll stop by later. Thank you, Alex.”

He watched as she scuttled out to leave the room and then turned on Dean. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Dean snapped. “I don’t know what your problem is, man, but you’ve been a dick to me from the beginning, and now you’re actively out to sabotage my _car_?”

Castiel stood, straightening up to his full height, refusing to be intimidated. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have never sabotaged anyone’s vehicle, and I don’t even know what your car looks like.”

“She’s a 1967 Chevy Impala and she was halfway through having a boot on her front tire because of you!” Dean jabbed his finger aggressively in Castiel’s direction, but Castiel paid no heed. Everything quickly fell into place and he folded his arms with a vicious scowl.

“So you’re the asshole that parked in my space this afternoon! You shouldn’t steal someone else’s space, it’s your own fault for not paying for your own damn stall.”

“I _am_ paying for a space,” Dean bellowed. “I’ve been here three weeks, dude, I took over for Bobby Singer, but he never officially cancelled his reserved stall so there’s been a delay in assigning me his old one. I got a list of available spaces to park in temporarily and 108 is where I was told to park in on Mondays, because you’re not scheduled in. I stuck a sign in my back window with my number so if anyone got here, they could call me and I’d move. But I guess you figured you’d be a dick instead, huh?”

Castiel could accept the logic in Dean’s words, but the confrontational way that his colleague had burst into his office meant that backing down was not an option. Dean had crossed a line, and Castiel wasn’t going to stand for it.

“That’s the second time you’ve called me a dick today and it had damn well better be the last.” Castiel warned him, his voice low. “I didn’t see your sign, which was an honest mistake. _You_ didn’t take the time to contact the faculty members whose space you were taking to let them know in case something changed. The way I see it, we’re both to blame.”

Dean opened his mouth to give an angry retort, but Castiel wasn’t finished. “No. I think you’ve said quite enough. You’ve explained the situation and you’re more than welcome to take my parking space on Mondays until your own gets assigned. But let me make something quite clear: if you _ever_ storm into my office again and yell at me when I’m with a student, I’ll file a report with your Department Chair. Do you understand?”

No response was given, save for the door slamming shut behind Dean as he stalked out of office as viciously as he’d entered.

Sinking down at his desk, Castiel pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a migraine coming on. Who knew that one fellow Professor could be a constant headache?

 

* * *

**5.**

Castiel managed to avoid Dean for the next month.

It was a big campus and after their last conversation had left them on bad terms, they had no reason to go near each other. They weren’t based out of the same building so the chances of a random meeting were extremely unlikely.

Until the pipes in the English Department building froze and burst, flooding the entirety of the ground floor with icy water. None of the offices were damaged, but the lecture halls were inaccessible. The subsequent rescheduling of classes was a disaster. The English department were just shoved into empty classrooms that could have resembled oversized closets, or on opposite sides of the campus so everyone had to sprint to get to their next class on time.

Castiel was grateful that none of his lectures were too far away. The Applied Sciences building was just next door so he didn’t have a hefty trek. When Tuesday rolled around, he headed for Room 221, briefcase in hand as he prepared for his lesson on the Romantics. Most of his students usually waited inside the classroom for him, but today they were all waiting outside, looking confused.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s another class in there, Professor Novak. A Physics class, I think,” Alex piped up.

Castiel frowned and reached into his pocket, pulling out his schedule. There was no doubt about it, it said 221. Which meant either the person inside was in the wrong room, or they’d been double booked. He knocked on the door, opening it and sticking his head inside.

“Excuse me,” he began, startling when he saw that Dean was standing at the front of the classroom and he let out a long-suffering sigh. “Professor Winchester. I was wondering if I might have a word.”

At the front of the classroom, Dean folded his arms, his expression defiant and his tone one of forced politeness. “Absolutely, Professor Novak. Go right ahead.”

“Can I confirm that you’re scheduled to be in this classroom right now? I have a piece of paper here stating that I’m to teach in 221 this period.”

Dean didn’t bat an eyelid, barely waiting for Castiel to finish the sentence before he waved dismissively. “I’ve been in this classroom every week since the beginning of the semester. I assure you that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

Gritting his teeth, Castiel took a deep breath and counted backwards from three. “I see. Do you know if there’s any other classrooms free in the building that I might set up in?”

Dean shrugged. “Probably not.”

With a brief nod, Castiel attempted to school his thunderous expression. Dean was being deliberately unhelpful and it was absolutely because of the parking incident from last month. Castiel refused to take the blame for that, so if Dean wanted to be petty, he could do so.

“Very well. I will contact administration. I apologise for the interruption.”

He withdrew and began to close the door.

“Professor Novak!”

Dean calling after him was unexpected, so Castiel’s hand fumbled as he opened the door again, raising a questioning eyebrow as Dean turned back to address his class.

“Everyone on _this_ side of the room, please grab your things and move over. We’re sharing the classroom today.”

Their eyes met and there was a brief moment of understanding between them. Castiel gave a nod in gratitude and directed his class inside. They all gathered at the front so Castiel could speak quietly. He didn’t want to have to fight to be heard. Thankfully, Dean’s side of the classroom was doing the same, working silently on a worksheet that had been passed out.

Castiel lectured quietly but with no less passion than if he’d had his full classroom. He commanded the attention of all his students as he talked about the origins of the Romantic poets. Coleridge. Shelley. Keats. Byron.

“Didn’t Byron have sex with like everyone?”

Castiel raised an eyebrow at the interruption, glancing around for the speaker amidst all the giggles. “Yes, Mr. Crowley, Byron was well known for his sexual proclivities. He also wrote poetry on occasion. Does it make you feel inadequate, knowing he was able to solicit such companionship _and_ write remarkable poetry while you struggle at both?” He added, dryly, feeling satisfied as Crowley flushed angrily and returned to his notes while his classmates chuckled with laughter.

“As I was saying, some of you might have previously studied Byron in the past, perhaps one of his more famous works, ‘She Walks in Beauty’ for example?”

He paid no attention to the other half of the classroom, too caught up in his own teaching. If he had, he might have noticed the attention Dean was giving him, hanging onto every word Castiel said.

When the bell rang, Castiel dismissed his class and hung back to speak to Dean, fielding questions by reminding students of his office hours. Halting in front of Dean, Castiel rubbed the back of his neck, searching for the right words.

“Thank you. This lecture was important to finals and it would have thrown off my schedule if I’d had to cancel.”

Dean avoided his eyes entirely. “I didn’t do it as a favour to you. I simply thought it would be an inconvenience to the students to fruitlessly follow you around for a spare classroom.”

Castiel’s jaw clenched. He was attempting to be polite, and Dean was just shutting him down needlessly. “I see. Well, I hope we weren’t too much of an inconvenience. I will contact administration for next week.”

Clearing his throat, Dean eventually met his eyes. “You don’t have to do that. I mean, it’s only another week or two until finals and I’m sure the pipes will be fixed by then.”

Castiel hesitated, out of sorts with the uncharacteristic civility between them. A light flush appeared behind Dean’s freckles as he watched, and Castiel felt himself blushing too. He opened his mouth to apologise for everything that had happened between them, but the moment was over as the next class began to file in.

“I should go. Thank you again.” Castiel mumbled, grabbing his briefcase. He felt oddly disappointed as he left the room without a backwards glance.

He didn’t need to look to know Dean had the same expression on his own face.

 

* * *

**+1.**

The faculty Christmas parties were always set the night of the last day of finals. Everyone was stressed and needed a reason to unwind, students and professors alike. Castiel usually attended but left early, uncomfortable with the crowd and the heat. He wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, but he did like to show his face and socialise with the other members of his department for a short time.

It was no different this year. By the time he arrived in the faculty lounge, all of the other professors were already gathered, pouring drinks and listening to music. They always wore formal attire, so Castiel was dressed in a fitted navy jacket, with a white shirt underneath. Castiel threaded his way through the crowd of tuxedos and evening dresses, looking for Balthazar and wondering why there were so many people he didn’t recognise here this year.

He found his friend by the drinks, pouring himself a few fingers of a very expensive-looking brandy, dressed in a fine suit jacket with an expensive looking cashmere jumper underneath.

“Cassie!” Balthazar greeted, enthusiastically, pulling him in for a tight hug. Castiel got the impression that was not Balthazar’s first drink of the evening. “Just in time. We’re set for a wonderful party this evening, we invited the Applied Sciences department to join us in thanks for letting us take over their building for the last month or so.”

“Ah,” Castiel nodded, reaching out to take the brandy from Balthazar and pouring himself a drink. “That explains why I don’t recognise a lot of people here. It was a nice idea to invite them. Yours?”

Balthazar shook his head. “Anna’s,” he muttered, pulling a face.

“And how are things going with Anna?” Castiel asked, teasingly. “Have you stopped avoiding her yet?”

Balthazar shrugged. “Not exactly. Oh, heavens, she’s coming this way. Excuse me.” He vanished before Castiel could say another word.

Sighing, Castiel picked up his drink and weaved his way towards Anna, stopping her with a pleasant smile and a polite greeting. She looked stunning, in a forest green evening gown with accents of gold. It contrasted with her flowing red hair beautifully.

“Hi Cas! I was just getting to know some of the people here, have you met Dean?”

She ushered her companion forward and Castiel stopped dead as he came face to face with Dean. He looked amazing in his black tuxedo, fitted from every angle, his hair brushed neatly and his stubble trimmed tidily. He was undoubtedly the most beautiful person in the room and the abrupt meeting made Castiel feel a little dizzy.

“We’ve met,” he agreed, carefully. He wasn’t sure what kind of footing they were on right now. The last few weeks had been awkward to say the least, with lingering looks but always ending with them both leaving the classroom as soon as possible to avoid any conversation.

At least Dean looked as taken aback as he was with the abrupt introduction. Neither of them had clearly expected to be pushed into interacting so suddenly.

“Yeah, we shared a classroom,” Dean cleared his throat and offered his hand. “Although we’ve never been formally introduced. Cas, was it? Or do you prefer Castiel?”

“Cas is fine. It’s very nice to meet you, Dean.” Castiel took the offered hand and shook it, staring intensely at Dean. They stared for a long moment, almost forgetting to release each other’s hands until Anna coughed politely.

“Likewise. Cas actually helped me discover a newfound love of Romanticism. I wasn’t really into poetry at school, I was more on the math side of things, but hearing him talk so passionately about Byron, I went home and read She Walks in Beauty.”

Castiel’s lips parted in surprise. Was that true? “I hadn’t realised you were listening. I hope I wasn’t interrupting your own teaching.”

“No, I…” Dean coloured and rubbed the back of his neck. “I actually started making more worksheets so I could focus on listening to you instead of talking at my own class. Lame, huh?”

Castiel was barely aware that Anna excused herself, too busy staring at Dean. Even if he’d noticed, he wouldn’t have been able to tear his eyes away. He realised he was gaping after a few seconds and raised his glass to his lips, taking a large gulp of brandy.

“It’s not lame.” He fell silent, searching for what to say. “I’m sorry for how rude I was when we met. I’m not good with social situations. I knew you were… that you meant to… with the coffee,” he finished lamely.

Dean coughed. “It was nothing. It was just an apology.”

Castiel reached out and grasped his wrist. “That I rebuffed. I’m truly sorry, Dean.”

“Me too. I was out of line, I was insulting from the beginning and I crossed a line when I stormed into your office.” Dean offered, gently, raising his own glass to his lips and taking a sip. Castiel followed the motion with his eyes, his flush becoming more pronounced. How had it gotten so warm in here?

“No harm done. Excuse me, I… I think I need to get some air. I’ll find you later?”

He pretended he couldn’t see the disappointment in Dean’s eyes as he turned away, gently pushing his way through the crowd to the door. He couldn’t think straight, everything was too warm and Dean’s eyes were too focused, too intense, too distracting.

In the safety of his office, Castiel sank into the chair, setting his drink down as he took gulps of air, trying to calm his nerves. Wow. He hadn’t expected to even see Dean tonight, yet to be confronted with a side of him that was so intensely attractive, so charismatic, Castiel hadn’t been able to breathe.

He felt his pulse slow, his breathing regulating over the next minute, and then the door opened to reveal Dean standing behind it, chest heaving like he’d ran a marathon.

“I figured you’d be here. Listen, Cas, I need to get something off my chest,” Dean strode into the room briskly, confidence in every step. “Because this has been bugging me since the first time I laid eyes on you and I can’t fight it anymore. I… you see... oh, fuck it.”

Castiel had no time to rise as Dean walked around the desk but then cool hands were cupping his cheeks and the warmest, softest pair of lips were pressed to his own. All the earlier intensity returned and Castiel felt like all the breath had been knocked out of his lungs. His eyes fluttered closed, powerless to do anything but give himself over to the sensation of desire and attraction while his fingers found purchase in the collar of Dean’s jacket. He pulled Dean closer, parting his lips.

If Castiel hadn’t been sitting, he would have almost certainly collapsed, his knees weak from the kiss. His head was swimming when Dean eventually withdrew, grazing his lips over Castiel’s one last time before pulling back completely.

“Fuck.” Dean rasped, licking his lips.

“Okay,” Castiel replied, dazedly, before shaking himself out of it. “I mean, uh… fuck it, I mean okay.”

Dean laughed, long and loud, his eyes lighting up with merriment. “I gotta admit, that wasn’t the reaction I pictured. I didn’t cross a line, then?”

Castiel smiled wryly, shaking his head. “No.”

“You’re not gonna scream at me?”

“I don’t make a habit of screaming until after a first date.”

Dean laughed again and Castiel’s heart leapt at the sound. “Well in the case, can I interest you in blowing this joint and maybe accompanying me to dinner?”

He reached out a hand in invitation and Castiel stood, his knees shaky, and took it without hesitation.

“Absolutely,” he said.

**Author's Note:**

> [MY TUMBLR](http://blueeyedangel.co.vu)


End file.
